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Consumer spending on video games, while still low compared to previous years, is approaching what it was in July 2020. According to industry tracking company The NPD Group, hardware sales are also increasing, possibly thanks to increasing inventory. In a major coup, Warner Bros.’ The free-to-play fighting game MultiVersus has overtaken both Elden Ring and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga as the best-selling game.
| July 2022 Dollar Sales, Millions | July 2021 |
July 2022 |
Change |
| Total video game sales | $4,573 | $4,177 | -9% |
| Video game content (Physical and digital full game, DLC/MTX and consumer releases for subscriptions on console, cloud, mobile*, portable, PC and VR platforms) | $4,060 | $3,668 | -10% |
| Video game hardware | $323 | $362 | 12% |
| Video Game Accessories | $190 | $148 | -22% |
“In July 2022, consumer spending on video game hardware, content and accessories fell 9% year-on-year to $4.18 billion,” said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. “The total is slightly below the $4.19 billion generated in July 2020.”
It’s not a huge uptick in numbers by any means. The gaming market has been slowly trickling down in recent months, with May 2022 having the lowest spend of the pandemic period. According to data from Sensor Tower, even the mobile market is shrinking. However, the increased sales of consoles indicate that, at least for now, some of the problems in the supply chain have been resolved.
| Year-to-date 2022 dollars in revenue, millions | YTD 2021 |
YTD 2022 |
Change |
| Total video game sales | $33,860 | $30,458 | -10% |
| Video game content (Physical and digital full game, DLC/MTX and consumer releases for subscriptions on console, cloud, mobile*, portable, PC and VR platforms) | $29,780 | $26,761 | -10% |
| Video game hardware | $2,669 | $2,494 | -7% |
| Video Game Accessories | $1,411 | $1,203 | -15% |
Piscatella added, “Year-to-date spending has reached $30.5 billion, a 10% drop compared to the same period in 2021. Subscription content remained the only major spending category to see spending growth.”
July 2022 NPD: Top 20 Best Selling Games of the Month in the US
NPD tracks physical sales at retailers, but also gets digital data directly from publishers. Not every company participates. For example, Nintendo doesn’t share its first-party sales and Activision Blizzard doesn’t deliver its Battle.net sales.
These charts are sorted by dollar sales – not number of units sold. And this is for full game sales and does not include in-game expenses.
| Rank | Last month’s rank | All platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW ONES | MultiVersus | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 2 | 1 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 3 | 2 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 4 | NEW ONES | Xenoblade Chronicles 3* | Nintendo |
| 5 | 11 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 6 | 4 | MLB: The Show 22^ | Multiple video game manufacturers |
| 7 | 6 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 8 | NEW ONES | Digimon Survival | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 9 | 10 | Minecraft | Multiple video game manufacturers |
| 10 | 12 | F1 22 | Electronic art |
| 11 | 8 | Kirby and the Forgotten Land* | Nintendo |
| 12 | 15 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
| 13 | 22 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons* | Nintendo |
| 14 | 5 | overwatch | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 15 | 18 | Pokemon Legends: Arceus* | Nintendo |
| 16 | 7 | Nintendo Switch Sports* | Nintendo |
| 17 | 25 | Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 18 | 24 | Far Cry 6 | Ubisoft |
| 19 | 37 | Call of Duty: Black Ops III | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 20 | 13 | Monster Hunter Rise | Capcom USA |
^Xbox & Switch digital sales not included
The graphs show a combination of old acquaintances and some new titles. Elden Ring and Lego Star Wars remain in the highest ranks, as does Mario Kart 8. Some of last month’s dark horses, like Final Fantasy VII Remake, have fallen out of favor again, though Monster Hunter Rise still holds up. Some games that were just off the list last month have been shuffled back, including two Call of Duty titles.
In addition to the returns, three new games have jumped on the list. In addition to MultiVersus and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the tactical RPG-meets-dark visual novel Digimon Survive has also made it. Famitsu reported (via Nintendo Life) the game took second place in the Japanese charts for the last week of July.
MultiVersus takes gold
Elden Ring and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga have been at the top of the NPD charts since they were released, with both swapping out of the top spot. MultiVersus is the first game launched since then to upset that balance. According to Piscatella, these sales were driven by the sale of the game’s Founders Packs. MultiVersus has amassed over ten million players since its launch across all platforms. Warner Bros and Player First recently rolled out the first season of the game, promising several new characters.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Ranks Up
Another new game that has made a splash at the top is the hefty RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 3. While it didn’t dethrone Elden Ring of Lego Star Wars of bronze and silver, it managed to come in fourth. It was also the best-selling game of July on the Switch. Fellow RPG Live A Live only made it to 8th place on that list, although it’s worth noting that NPD doesn’t keep up with digital sales of Nintendo games.
July 2022 NPD: 20 best-selling games of 2022 so far
| Rank | Last month’s rank | All platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2 | 2 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 3 | 3 | Pokemon Legends: Arceus* | Nintendo |
| 4 | 4 | Horizon II: Forbidden West | Sony (company) |
| 5 | 5 | MLB: The Show 22^ | Multiple video game manufacturers |
| 6 | 6 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 7 | 7 | Gran Turismo 7 | Sony (company) |
| 8 | 8 | Kirby and the Forgotten Land* | Nintendo |
| 9 | 9 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 10 | 10 | Madden NFL 22 | Electronic art |
| 11 | 12 | Minecraft | Multiple video game manufacturers |
| 12 | 11 | Nintendo Switch Sports* | Nintendo |
| 13 | 13 | FIFA 22 | Electronic art |
| 14 | 14 | Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Sony (company) |
| 15 | 15 | Monster Hunter: Rise | Capcom USA |
| 16 | 17 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
| 17 | 16 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons* | Nintendo |
| 18 | 19 | Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 19 | 18 | Mario Party Superstars* | Nintendo |
| 20 | 20 | Dying Light 2: Stay Human* | Square Enix Inc (Corp) |
^Xbox & Switch digital sales not included
July 2022 NPD: Top 10 best-selling games of the past 12 months
| Rank | Last month’s rank | All platforms | Publishers |
| 1 | 1 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2 | 2 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 3 | 3 | Madden NFL 22 | Electronic art |
| 4 | 4 | Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl* | Nintendo |
| 5 | 5 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 6 | 6 | Battlefield 2042 | Electronic art |
| 7 | 7 | FIFA 22 | Electronic art |
| 8 | 8 | Far Cry 6 | Ubisoft |
| 9 | 9 | Pokemon Legends: Arceus* | Nintendo |
| 10 | 10 | Horizon II: Forbidden West | Sony (company) |
July 2022 NPD: Top 10 Best Selling Nintendo Platform Games in the US
| Rank | Last month’s rank | Nintendo platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW ONES | Xenoblade Chronicles* | Nintendo |
| 2 | 2 | Mario Kart 8* | Nintendo |
| 3 | 4 | Kirby and the Forgotten Land* | Nintendo |
| 4 | 5 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* | Nintendo |
| 5 | 9 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons* | Nintendo |
| 6 | 7 | Pokemon Legends: Arceus* | Nintendo |
| 7 | 3 | Nintendo Switch Sports* | Nintendo |
| 8 | NEW ONES | Live Alive* | Nintendo |
| 9 | NEW ONES | Digimon Survival | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 10 | 11 | Mario Party Superstars* | Nintendo |
July 2022 NPD: Top 10 Best Selling PlayStation Platform Games in the US
| Rank | Last month’s rank | PlayStation platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2 | 2 | MLB: The Show 22 | Sony (company) |
| 3 | NEW ONES | MultiVersus | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 4 | 9 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 5 | 12 | Minecraft | Microsoft (company) |
| 6 | 5 | Horizon II: Forbidden West | Sony (company) |
| 7 | 11 | F1 22 | Electronic art |
| 8 | 10 | Gran Turismo 7 | Sony (company) |
| 9 | 3 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 10 | 4 | Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Sony (company) |
July 2022 NPD: Top 10 Bestselling Xbox Platform Games in the US
| Rank | Last month’s rank | Xbox platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | NEW ONES | MultiVersus | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 2 | 1 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 3 | 5 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 4 | 9 | Call of Duty: Black Ops III | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 5 | 2 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| 6 | 3 | overwatch | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 7 | 8 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 8 | 7 | Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| 9 | 4 | F1 22 | Electronic art |
| 10 | 10 | Forza Horizon 5 | Microsoft (company) |
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